Retractor
OwnerMehdi Fakhraiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is a sternal retractor comprising a pair of arms with sternum engaging blades thereon and a curved cross bar on which said arms are disposed such that in use the retractor can open the bottom of the sternum more than the top of the sternum to minimize damage and injury to the upper ribs and numbness which sometimes results in the hands of open chest surgery patients. The retractor also has application for other surgical procedures, as well, for the same general purpose of providing an opening of varying size along the length of an incision.
Claims20
A surgical sternal retractor comprising:
- a curved flat rack bar having at least one radius of curvature;
- two elongated arms, each of said arms being mounted near one end thereof to said bar in a non-parallel relation to each other and having at least one blade means disposed at the other end thereof;
- and
- pinion means for moving at least one of said arms along the bar with sufficient force to spread the sternum.
A sternal retractor for use in open chest surgery comprising:
- a rack bar having a row of teeth disposed on opposite sides of said bar, said rack bar having a radius of curvature;
- a pair of spreader arms connected to said rack bar and extending generally perpendicular to said rack bar in a non-parallel relation to each other, said spreader arms being removable from said rack bar, and one of said spreader arms being movable along said rack bar;
- blade means for engaging and spreading split sternal halves comprising sternum engaging retractor blade means attached to each of said spreader arms;
- and
- pinion means for moving said movable spreader arm along said rack bar with sufficient force to spread a sternum.
A method of opening a sternum and retaining said sternum in an open position for chest surgery comprising:
- cutting open the sternum,
- providing a sternal retractor comprising:
- a rack bar having a row of teeth disposed on opposite sides of said bar, said rack bar having a radius of curvature;
- a pair of spreader arms connected to said rack bar and extending generally perpendicular to said rack bar, said spreader arms being removable from said rack bar, and one of said spreader arms being movable along said rack bar;
- blade means for engaging and spreading split sternal halves comprising sternum engaging retractor blade means attached to each of said spreader arms;
- and
- pinion means for moving said movable spreader arm along
- said rack bar with sufficient force to spread a sternum;
- whereby said the lower portion of said sternum is spread more than the upper portion of said sternum;
- and
- actuating said pinion means for moving said movable spreader arm to spread the sternum a desired amount.
A method of opening a sternum and retaining said sternum in an open position for chest surgery comprising:
- cutting open the sternum,
- providing a sternal retractor comprising:
- a curved flat rack bar having at least one radius of curvature;
- two elongated arms, each of said arms being mounted near one end thereof to said bar in a non-parallel relation to each other and having at least one blade means disposed at the other end thereof;
- and
- pinion means for moving at least one of said arms along
- the bar with sufficient force to spread the sternum.;
- whereby said the lower portion of said sternum is spread more than the upper portion of said sternum;
- and
- actuating said means for moving said movable spreader arm to spread the sternum a desired amount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.